Peterson-Wilbanks House
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Why it's listed
Built in 1916 at 404 Jackson Street in Vidalia, Georgia, this two-story frame house shows the Neoclassical style in a small-town setting. It has a wrap-around first-floor porch, a two-story entrance portico with two wooden columns 22 feet 4 inches tall, corbeled chimneys, and a hipped roof with hipped dormers. Inside, a central stair hall is flanked by rooms, with original fireplaces, mantels, chair rails and crown molding, and much of the structure is heart yellow pine. Ada McArthur Peterson Wilbanks had it built during Vidalia's first major period of growth, after the railroads arrived. It was designed by Ivey P. Crutchfield, a Georgia-born builder who became a regional architect. The loan company foreclosed in 1936, and W. Frank Jenkins, later mayor, bought the house in 1940. It is now used for professional offices after a certified rehabilitation. It was listed for its architecture, as one of two documented Neoclassical houses in the city.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a good small-town example of the Neoclassical style, with symmetrical massing, monumental columns and interior detailing. It is also a known work of regional architect Ivey P. Crutchfield, and one of only two such houses in Vidalia documented to National Register standards.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000491, listed March 22, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 404 Jackson St., Vidalia |
|---|---|
| County | Toombs County |
| Listed | March 22, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000491 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1916 |
| Architect / builder | Ivey P. Crutchfield (1878-1952), architect |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival (Neoclassical) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now in professional/commercial use as offices; recently rehabilitated with missing balustrades replaced, the screened porch removed, and the columns restored. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.21397, -82.41334 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000491.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29093460
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.